EU Statement – UN General Assembly 5th Committee First Resumed Session: Special Political Missions

EU Statement - UN General Assembly 5th Committee First Resumed Session: Special Political Missions

18 March 2026, New York - Statement on behalf of the Member States of the European Union by Ms. Elisa Hein, Counsellor, Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations, at the 80th Session of the General Assembly Fifth Committee First Resumed Session on Special Political Missions

Madame Chair,

I have the honor to speak on behalf of the Member States of the European Union.

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia, Montenegro*, Albania*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, and Bosnia and Herzegovina*, as well as Andorra, Monaco and the United Kingdom align themselves with this statement.

We thank the Deputy Controller for presenting the Secretary-General's report, and the Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, for presenting the Committee's related reports. We welcome the UN80 Initiative-oriented approaches reflected in the respective reports. We also wish to commend DGACM for their dedicated efforts in ensuring the timely preparation and advance availability of translations.

Madame Chair,

In a world where conflicts are increasingly complex and the space for diplomacy often narrow, Special Political Missions represent one of the United Nations' most agile and far-reaching responses. They provide essential capacity for preventive diplomacy, mediation, and political facilitation across the peace, security, and human rights pillars of the Organization. The European Union and its Member States remain firmly committed to their success, and express sincere appreciation to the staff serving in these missions, often in demanding and dangerous conditions.

It is all the more encouraging, therefore, that this Committee has for the second consecutive year adopted a resolution in the Main Session on Special Political Missions by consensus, a meaningful achievement, and one that reflects the reform-oriented spirit of the UN80 Initiative. We hope that same spirit will guide our consideration of the four missions under the Revised Estimates toward an equally constructive and negotiated outcome. The European Union and its Member States will engage with the resource requirements before us carefully and with a technical approach; consistent with our strong interest, as the largest collective contributor to the United Nations system, in ensuring that funds are deployed effectively and in full accordance with agreed mandates.

Madame Chair,

The Fifth Committee, deliberations on the budgetary implications of the Revised Estimates of the Special Political Missions are anchored in, and circumscribed by, the relevant resolutions of the Security Council, our role is to adopt the resources required for their implementation. We strongly emphasize that the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Question's mandate requires it to examine the financial and administrative aspects of proposals as presented, on the basis of existing mandates without questioning those mandates, and that its recommendations should be framed and understood within those terms. We therefore regret that such a technical approach was not followed when it comes to this report, and the Panel of Experts on the Islamic Republic of Iran, for which resources for its establishment and work were not recommended forcing the use of the unforeseen and extraordinary expenses for a budget that has already been mandated, and presented and requested by the Secretary-General. We trust the General Assembly will work together in a constructive spirit to continue to adequately fund all mandates including those for the four Special Political Missions.

We look forward to a constructive and timely conclusion of this agenda item.

I thank you Madame Chair.

1. ^North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.